Cornus florida xe2x80x98Eternal Dogwoodxe2x80x99.
A dogwood plant providing the basis of my new discovery was found at my previous home at 306 Skiles Heights, Thomasville, Davidson County, N.C. The location of discovery was a Wisteria growing area in back of the property. A small tree about 1 meter in height appeared to have multiple flowering blossoms (12 to 16 bracts). I began nurturing the tree and later propagated branches of that tree at the same location selecting branches with the largest quantity and size of flowering bracts. Branches were marked in spring, then cut and placed in moist potting soil in the late summer.
These trees bloomed 3 years later with 12 to 16 bracts. Many blooms had signs of 20 bracts but they failed to open. At 4 years old of age, they began to produce blooms with 12 to 20 bracts. By the fifth year most blooms had 16 to 20 bracts.
Before moving to my new home at 620 Lakewood Road, Wake County, Fuquay-Varina, N.C., I destroyed all but one tree, and that saved tree was planted at my new home. This tree is now documented as the parent tree. The parent tree is healthy and now yields 12 to 20 bracts per flora (most are 16 to 20 bracts).
The most distinguishing characteristics of this tree are the blooms with 12-20 bracts and the uniform white color of its flowers. In contrast, the xe2x80x98Daybreakxe2x80x99 dogwood (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,320) normally has blooms with 4 bracts, and the xe2x80x98Phillips Pink No. 1xe2x80x99 double dogwood (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,518) is pink and has blooms with 8 bracts. I have chosen to identify my new dogwood plant as xe2x80x98Eternal Dogwoodxe2x80x99 for purposes of identification and use in the trade. Color, when referenced, is compared with Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart.